Augoeides

About Me

I am a Thelemite and ritual magician also known as Ananael Qaa who has been practicing for more
than 30 years. I have a degree in experimental psychology from Saint
Olaf College, a well-regarded Lutheran school that has a surprisingly
good collection of Aleister Crowley's work, and have been involved in
Ordo Templi Orientis since 1995 and Masonry since 1997.

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Thursday, February 27, 2014

The Poor Oppressed Christian Test

Let's say that you're a Christian who enjoys reading Augoeides. One of the groups I like to make fun of on here is what I dub "Poor Oppressed Christians." These sad individuals are a small subgroup indulging the ridiculous belief that even though they belong to the dominant religious tradition in the United States they are somehow being denied their religious liberty. But how can you, as a Christian reader, be sure that you're not one of these pathetic folks? First off, enjoying this blog is a pretty good sign that you're a normal Christian rather than a Poor Oppressed one. But if you're still wondering, let me direct you to this Huffington Post article with a simple quiz that will tell you for sure. It's from September of 2012, but due to the ongoing whining of the Poor Oppressed crowd it remains relevant.

It seems like this election season "religious liberty" is a hot topic. Rumors of its demise are all around, as are politicians who want to make sure that you know they will never do anything to intrude upon it.

I'm a religious person with a lifelong passion for civil rights, so this is of great interest to me. So much so, that I believe we all need to determine whether our religious liberties are indeed at risk. So, as a public service, I've come up with this little quiz. I call it "How to Determine if Your Religious Liberty Is Being Threatened in Just 10 Quick Questions." Just pick "A" or "B" for each question.

The quiz itself follows those introductory remarks. The gist of it is quite simple. You're being denied religious liberty if you personally are being prevented from exercising your beliefs. You're not being denied religious liberty if you're simply being prevented from forcing those beliefs on others. This is simply religious freedom being applied across the board to everyone, including those who don't share your tradition or beliefs - because religious freedom isn't free. The mere existence of different perspectives is not an attack, not a war, and most certainly not oppression. Thinking otherwise is so irrational it shouldn't even be up for debate, but it seems as if the Poor Oppressed folks are too busy playing the victim to realize it.

Enochian Master Class

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Mastering the Great Table

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Mastering the Mystical Heptarchy

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